IFE Quick Conversations: Equity in Education, Interrupted Learning, and More

Shaped Staff

In today's world, many education leaders are prioritizing diversity and inclusivity in instruction, working to narrow COVID learning gaps, and teaching students lifelong skills that will serve them in and out of the classroom.

Those topics, among others, were recently covered in Innovation For Equity's (IFE) Quick Conversations video series, where you can hear from education leaders, business owners, and other experts on education-related topics. HMH is a proud sponsor of IFE, a nonprofit that addresses inequities in the U.S. education system and aims to close the learning gap for Black students.

Watch the videos below to learn more about culturally responsive education, reopening and learning recovery in schools this coming fall, and developing an entrepreneurial mindset.

Quick Conversations from Innovation For Equity

Culturally Responsive Education

In this conversation, we hear from Kaya Henderson of Reconstruction U.S.; Benita Flucker from HMH; and Alvin Crawford of Revolution Foods. They discuss how to create learning environments that embrace the cultural diversity of students. Crawford opened the conversation by noting that when it comes to culturally responsive education, "It seems we're at an inflection point with all that's going on in the world."

"Almost 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education," Crawford said, "many wonder whether we've come far, let alone far enough, in providing an equal and quality education for children of color. In 2020, the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor ignited an awakening for some. But did it spark a thirst for understanding—a recognition that culture and race have relevance and a recognition that many at school are going to have to do a better job?"

***

Reopening and Recovery

It's been a year full of challenges for educators, and now K–12 administrators face a new task: planning for when students return to school this fall.

Hear insights and approaches to reopening and recovery from interrupted learning by three of our nation's leading superintendents: Dr. Shaun Nelms of East High School in New York; Dr. Lisa Herring of Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia; and Dr. Mark Bedell of Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri. They explore a simple question, posed by Nelms at the beginning of the conversation: "To what extent has the pandemic shaped our policies, practices, and beliefs about the inequities in school communities as we address unfinished learning?"

***

Learning Entrepreneurship

Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, president of Trinity College, explores the concept of an entrepreneurial mindset with IFE Leadership Fellows Chris Motley, founder of Mentor Spaces, and Nelcida Rodiquez, founder and regional director of Innovative Scholars.

During the conversation, they discuss topics including how the panelists gained their entrepreneurial skills, what their businesses aim to do, where they got resources to start or grow their businesses, and obstacles they faced along the way.